


Indech's Arrow

by sideoftea (orphan_account)



Series: Unified Borders [1]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Claumitri, Comfort, Dialogue Heavy, Fluff, Garreg Mach Monastery (Fire Emblem), M/M, POV Third Person, Platonic Cuddling, Platonic Female/Male Relationships, Pre-Timeskip | Academy Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), dimiclaude, unified borders
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-24
Updated: 2019-10-24
Packaged: 2021-01-02 14:56:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21163508
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/sideoftea
Summary: The Golden Deer house has just won the annual Battle of the Eagle and Lion. Following the conclusion of a celebratory feast, Claude and Hilda spend time together in Claude's dormitory. Claude finds himself distracted by his feelings, and Hilda offers some advice when they are visited unexpectedly.





	Indech's Arrow

**Author's Note:**

> Currently the beginning of my Unified Borders series. A collection of vignettes focusing on Dimitri and Claude's relationship during the events of Fire Emblem: Three Houses.
> 
> SETTING: Claude's dormitory. Right after the celebratory feast following the annual Battle of The Eagle and Lion (Chapter 7's mission). This is from the perspective of the Golden Deer earning the victory.
> 
> TONE: Focus on the platonic relationship between Hilda and Claude. Comforting and supportive. Also, kind of the "schoolboy crush" phase of Claude and Dimitri's relationship.
> 
> WARNING: None really this time. Maybe some small pre-timeskip spoilers for the game.

Outside the second floor of the dormitories, rain droplets exploded in a symphony against the mossy stone that encased a series of tall, narrow windows. The hands of a skilled archer were left to caress their owner’s face as he deeply sighed. After briefly massaging his temples, he entwined his fingers into a patch of messy black hair, and eager to take a break, laid them to a temporary rest. The archer’s eyes stared transfixed of his dormitory’s ceiling as he sprawled out on the bed. In these moments, Claude seemed to be a fortune-seeker of some sorts, staring past the boundaries of mortal interpretation into other dimensions and spiritual planes. Hilda was also here, sitting cross-legged on a wooden chair in front of the dormitory-provided desk. She hummed to herself, meticulously crafting a bracelet comprised of forget-me-nots and bits of arcane crystal. Claude watched her for a while, finding the process of her hands weaving the materials together to be quite soothing.

“Who are you making that for?” Claude inquired.

“You.”

“Really?”

“No silly. It’s for me!” Hilda stuck her tongue out playfully. Claude just shook his head.

“Why am I not surprised? Making someone else a bracelet would be too much work for no reward.”

“It just makes sense. I know what I think is pretty. Like how everyone else knows what they think is pretty. Why would I spend all that effort making someone an accessory they might not even like?”

“Well because, and it’s a crazy idea I know, what matters isn’t the gift itself, but the heartfelt thought behind it. Wouldn’t it be nice to make someone else a bracelet for a change?”

“Hey! I am a very giving person. I grace people with my presence all the time. And you know how good I am at compliments. Not all gifts have to be physical, you know.”

Claude scoffed, turning his gaze back up towards the ceiling. He hated to admit it, but Hilda once again made a sensible argument in her weird, twisted way. She was constantly challenging his philosophies with her own, even if they weren’t always what most would describe as admirable. 

Despite the so-called _ presence _ Hilda was gracing him with, Claude’s brow furrowed, alerting his fingertips to their position over his temples once again. He closed his eyes, sighing longingly. Normally Claude was tentative about showing such obvious agitation, but Hilda had become one of his best friends, and was one of the few people he felt he could remove the mask around at this damn academy. Hilda watched him shift around uncomfortably, nearly feeling a sliver of pity for her house’s leader. 

“You really like him don’t you?” Claude reflected on her words for a long time, seeking any possible reason he could truthfully give an answer different from the one he spoke moments later.

“...yeah.” Hilda nodded knowingly in response.

“It’s okay to have these feelings Claude.” She reached out and grasped his upper-arm, massaging it slightly.

“Thank you Hilda.” Claude responded evenly. “I just… wish I knew why.”

“Hearts can be fickle things, and despite all the logical reasoning in the world, they will decide what they want at the end of the day.”

“...”

“You’re incredibly smart Claude. You’re known as being one of the best tacticians at Garreg Mach for a reason. But you shouldn’t let your mind completely overshadow your feelings. You need both to embrace who you truly are.”

“Wow Hilda, that’s so… poignant.”

“I can be very well-spoken when I want to be.”

“I wouldn’t even say it’s when you try to, I think you just are.” Claude’s easy smile returned and Hilda turned aside to laugh, flattered.

“Well thank you Claude. And if it’s any consolation, I think you and Dimitri would be really cute together.” Claude’s smile slipped away just as fast as it had arrived. He let out a comedically loud groan and covered his face with his pillow.

“Aw poor Claude. To think, our very own head deer, struck by Saint Indech’s arrow.” 

“Don’t patronize me Hilda.” Claude’s voice was muffled by the pillow. 

“But it’s so much fun!” The pillow, bored of Claude’s face, now beelined towards Hilda’s.

“Agh! Hey! Don’t mess up my hair.”

“But it’s so much fun!” Claude sneered, mocking her. Hilda swiftly grabbed the pillow.

“You asked for it!” She seethed, whipping the pillow into the side of Claude’s head. He winced, but managed to grab her wrist in the process and pulled her onto the bed. They continued to wrestle, giggling madly. Hilda managed to keep Claude down, pinning him with surprising strength. 

“Damn. So much for being a delicate flower.” Claude noted, somewhat out-of-breath. Before Hilda could respond, a soft rap was heard at the door. Hilda released her stronghold, allowing Claude’s feet to quickly find the floorboards. Claude took a split-second to pointlessly try to fix his hair before turning the doorknob. Standing in the hallway outside was the prince of Faerghus himself. Claude nearly jumped, freezing like a child caught in the act of stealing a pastry. 

“Good evening Claude.”

“Dimitri!”

“I hope you don’t mind, I wanted to discuss-” Dimitri stopped short, glancing over to Hilda, somewhat sprawled out on the bed. “Oh. Hello Hilda.” She gave him an awkward wave. “I’m sorry. Am I interrupting?” Dimitri looked slightly disappointed, and Claude could feel Hilda mentally nudging him. 

“N-no! Uh… please come in your royalness.” Claude stammered, fumbling to regain composure. Dimitri barely knew how to react. He’d never seen Claude so flustered. If he didn’t know better, he would assume he accidentally entered Bernadetta’s dormitory. Admittingly, it was nice knowing the rival house leader was not entirely impregnable. 

“Pardon me again for my intrusion, but I wanted to congratulate you!” Dimitri spoke formally, adorning his words with a slight bow.

“Congratulate? What for?” Claude was still not completely over the fact that Dimitri came to his dorm unannounced, completely on his own terms.

“For being this year’s winner of the Battle of the Eagle and Lion of course! You, and the professor, led your house to a strategic victory.”

“Well I don’t know about-”

“No need to be modest. I must admit, I was confident my house would emerge victorious. But where the Blue Lions are strong and diligent, we lack strategy. I mean, the way you pitched your archers in the thickets on the eastern edge of the field to protect your medics, and how you preemptively readied your fliers to ambush enemy mages that were setting up to take down your knights-!” Dimitri’s face had become slightly pink by this point, not entirely aware of how much he was gushing. 

“Hey now! I‘d be lying if I said I didn’t I love all this praise, but it was mostly Teach’s leadership we have to thank… and of course my fellow classmates.” Claude smirked towards Hilda who quickly waved him off.

“Who? Me?! Oh no. I was good for our team’s morale, sure, but I wouldn’t say I was that important overall.” Hilda responded flippantly.

“I disagree!” Dimitri chimed back in. “I witnessed you out there Hilda. You nearly gave Ingrid a concussion! And between you and me, she’s been pretty sour about losing to you.” Dimitri threw his head back in a very hearty laugh. Claude felt a tight stab in his chest as he cheeks started burning. He knew Dimitri could be more than brooding and serious, but actually witnessing the important noble acting so informal was fascinating.

“Ah come on Dimitri, you’re making us blush!” Claude forced a wink, resting his hand on the back of his neck. 

“Okay, okay I will stop. I just wanted to thank you both. For teaching me that I still have much to learn.” Dimitri’s laugh settled and he wiped away a happy tear. 

“You help us grow too, you know. You’re a formidable opponent Dimitri, I wasn’t confident we would secure the win as soon as your forces started charging right at us.”

“Always a pleasure. And thank you for proposing the feast. It’s nice tearing down the walls of our respective houses every once in a while.” Dimitri then cleared his throat again, and gave another bow. “I bid you two a good night.”

“Sleep tight,” was all Claude managed to slip in before the prince left him and Hilda alone in the dorm once again. 

“Claude…”

“I think I’m going to pass out.” He nearly did, slumping back onto the bed, now realizing how much that interaction took out of him.

“So… that happened.” Claude thought a long time before speaking again.

“Hilda. Do you think there’s really a chance?”

“That he likes you too? I mean, he did just drop in to do nothing but sing your praises.”

“No, I mean, regarding the future. Theoretically, if he did reciprocate my feelings, do you think a union like that is even possible?”

“First of all, don’t worry so much about the future. Just take it a day at a time, like I do!”

“...”

“And second of all, when has Claude von Riegan ever given up on chasing a dream?” Claude sighed running his fingers through his hair, something that has become habitual for him whenever deep in thought. Hilda continued. “You’ve already been through so much in your short life Claude, you deserve to be happy.” 

“You’re an incredible friend Hilda.” His lips forming a warm, benign smile.

“Yes, yes, I’m great. I know.” She lied back down on the bed, motioning for the young archer to join her. She played with his hair until they both drifted off to sleep, his head nestled in the crook of her neck and her fingers still tracing circles in his scalp. The rain began to fall harder, surrounding the Garreg Mach monastery and all of its students and faculty, protecting them for the time being. None of the students could say what the future would hold, but they knew to cherish these happier moments, for all they were worth. 

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, I had A LOT of fun writing Hilda in this one. She seems like a character who is much wiser than she leads on. Claude and Hilda's dynamic is incredible, and it's been fun exploring how vulnerable they can be with each other. I personally don't view them together romantically, but there's no denying how strong their relationship is. And hey, if you ship them, that's awesome too!
> 
> Ah, Dimitri. What a lovable goof. While incredibly sincere, he's somewhat impulsive, and I just loved the idea that he just couldn't wait to go tell Claude how great he is and bursts into his dorm room without warning. The poor boy can't help that he wears his heart on his sleeve.
> 
> Finally, Claude is a character I relate to a lot as we both have the tendency to put up walls. We use a snarky sense of humor and use our outward charisma to make ourselves feel less vulnerable. This isn't to say he isn't being genuine, but rather using this as a defensive technique. I think this aspect of his character becomes quite clear throughout the game. Claude is human, and these moments where he lets his guard down and to show his imperfections and anxieties are the moments I love him even more, and was the main inspiration behind this vignette.
> 
> Feel free to follow me on Twitter: @PerfectTeatime_


End file.
